GA-5AA.........K6-2 300................HELP!!!!

[Gold_chocobo]

HI THERE,

I HAVE A GA-5AA M/B.I RECENTLY FOUND A K6-2 300 CHIP FOR SALE.I BOUGHT IT AND POPPED IT IN,AT 100MHZ...2.2V....CLOCK MULTIPLIER OF 3.

THE PC WORKS BUT IT SEEMS TO BE OVERHEATING MORE THEN NORMAL AND I VISITED OTHER SITES AND A K6-2 300 WITH A VOODOO 2 SHOULD GET ABOUT 72FPS AT 640X480,BUT I HAVE THE SAME SYSTEM BUT I ONLY MANAGE 41FPS........IS IT MY M/B OR SHOULD I RATHER TRY COOLING THE CPU DOWN....? AS I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE PERFORMANCE THEY GET OR THE PERFORMANCE THE CHIP IS ADVERTISED FOR....

HELP.....

[Platypus]

How much heatsinking are you using? The K6 will need a larger heatsink/fan than a similar Pentium and definitely needs thermal compound (fresh, not left over from a previous CPU). Make sure there isn't anything between the heatsink and the CPU spacing them apart (piece of grit etc).

For speed, maybe don't take too much notice of frame rates claimed?? But anyway, ALI AGP driver installed? AGP set to 2x in BIOS setup?

Also you don't say what OS, but if by chance Win95B, USB supplement has to be installed for AGP, otherwise card will work as a fast PCI card.

[Ruslan]

Besides what Platypus said...
About overheating... Change CPU settings - You see, there are two types of K6-2-300 CPU. One of them was designed for running at 100 Mhz FSB (3x multyplier), another one (and most likely, You have that one) was designed for work at 66Mhz FSB (4,5x multyplier). These settings have to be shown on CPU's top cover.
Although that CPU can work at 100Mhz (yes,it is proved),it could cause overheating of CPU (if fan isn't fast enough and cooler is small).
I do have at home exactly the same processor running in 5MVP3 motherboard, and that processor isn't running hot at 66Mhz FSB.
But,of course, at 100Mhz system works much more faster,than at 66Mhz.
If You want to get more FPS from that system - get faster CPU (K6-3-450,for example).

[Gold_chocobo]

HEY GUYS THANKS FOR THE REPLIES...............BEFORE I POSTED THE ARTICLE I TRIED THE 2 FSB SETTINGS.....100MHZ AND 66MHZ........BUT BOTH SEEM 2 HEAT UP AT THE SAME RATE...I EVEN TRIED 75MHZ I THINK AS WELL.NO I HAVE CHECKED THE GRIT IDEA,THE FUNNY THING IS THAT I GOT THE HEATSINK FROM MY BUDDY WHO HAD DA SAME CPU AND HE USED THE SAME HEATSINK AND IT KEPT THE CPU COOL..............I HEARD SOMETHING ABOUT SOMETIMES THE K6-2 RECOGNISES THE 2.0V AS 6.0 V I DONT KNOW HOW TRUE DIS IS BUT HEY I AINT GONNA CHECK DAT OUT.

NOW I HAVE NOTICED MY VOODOO 2 IS HEATING UP AS WELL...........BUT IT AINT OVERCLOCKED PAST THE NORMAL 90MHZ.........

AMD SUCK AT GIVING HELP..THEY JUST SEND STUPID FAQ'S...

ANYWAY I APPRECIATE UR GUIDANCE....

[Platypus]

If the video card is running hot too, I would suspect an over-voltage condition, probably from a motherboard regulator.

If Ruslan could specify an accessible contact point on that board to check, do you have the equipment and the skill to take a voltage measurement, i.e. access to a digital multimeter (volt-meter)?

[Gold_chocobo]

HEY THERE.........

I KINDA DOUBT IT........AS I AINT THAT EXPERIENCED AN ELECTRICIAN...BUT I WAS THINKING WHAT WOULD BE THE ABSLOUTE MINIMUM CORE VOLTAGE MY K6-2 300 WOULD RUN ON?

AS I CHECKED ON THE CHIP...VCC-2.2 I/O =3.3V BUT I PUT THE CHIP IN ANOTHER BOARD AND IT SHOWED ME THE IO VOLTAGE WAS 3.56V...COULD THIS BE THE CAUSE OF THE OVERHEATING....?

I DARENT ASK AMD BECAUSE THERE CUSTOMER SUPPORT IS UP THE POLE..........I GUESS I MIGHT HAVE TO BLOW MONEY ON A BIGGER HEATSINK........

[Ruslan]

[quote]Originally posted by Gold_chocobo:
<strong>AS I CHECKED ON THE CHIP...VCC-2.2 I/O =3.3V BUT I PUT THE CHIP IN ANOTHER BOARD AND IT SHOWED ME THE IO VOLTAGE WAS 3.56V...COULD THIS BE THE CAUSE OF THE OVERHEATING....?
</strong><hr></blockquote>

What "another" motherboard? Make sure You have correctly installed Your processor (i.e. 2,2v core and 3,3v I/O (dual voltage)) - 3,52v is used as single voltage settings for AMD-K5 and IDT Winchip series of processors.

[Shard92]

WE have also seen problems with that motherboard and AMD chips. They all seem to be voltage regulator problems. I've had three of those boards now quit working with anything but standard Pentiums. Anything Dual-plain just doesn't work, after awhile. In at least one of the those cases we are sure the CPU overheated just prior to it quiting! Afterwards, cpu will work in different board and standard Pentium will work in Gigabyte board.

Just some food for thought.

GLSmith

[pm4345]

AMD Procs run hotter than their pentium counterparts. That is a given. Some other factors to consider are:

1. what is the temperature where you have your computer. If your room temp is high (or you are near a heater etc,) naturally, the processor will run higher.
2. is it sitting in a corner or in an enclosed location, as you will recirculate that warm air.
3. Is it the same case as your brother? If not, maybe your case doesn't have as good of a ventilation as your brothers. Bigger and more fans definitely won't hurt.
4. In my opinion AMD started making it's best products from K6-2 400 and onwards... (Just my opinion, no flaming pls)

[Ruslan]

Agree with Shard92 - I've seen these problems also,and not only with Gigabyte motherboards...
Last times I see it quite often with ASUS socket7 motherboards...

[Gold_chocobo]

HEY GUYS THNKS FOR THE REPLIES,I HAVE TRIED VARIOUS THINGS,I HAVE NOW LOWERED THE CPU CORE TO 2.OV AND HAVE NO LOCKUPS AND PLUS THE CPU IS RUNNING COOLER.IT LOOK LIKE IM GONAN HAVE 2 BUY A NEW HEATSINK...ITS CHEAPER THEN AN UPGRADE.WHAT KIND OF THERMAL COMPOUND SHOULD I USE TO SECURE THE HEATSINK TO THE CPU?

THE OTEHR MOBO I REFFERRED TO WAS THE GA-586GS.I TRIED THE AMD IN THERE BUT THE SYSTEM GOES UP TO A CERTAIN POINT IN POST THEN HANGS.SO I HAVE DECIDED TO STICK WITH THE GA-5AA.....

ANYWAY I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU GUYS HELPIN ME...IF I CAN HELP U GUYS I WILL...

[Platypus]

Sounds promising, if the system stays stable, the 2.0 volt setting may actually be giving around the right voltage. Keep in mind, though, if a resistor in the divider chain that selects the voltages has gone off value, it may at some time go way off, and cook the CPU completely.

Nothing exotic is needed for the K6 when it comes to thermal compound, the white silicone thermal grease that is sold in little tubes will be adequate. Only use a light smear, as much as is needed to fill the space between the base of the heatsink and the metal cap of the CPU, don't use so much that it oozes out onto the ceramic package.

Good luck with it.

P.S. Using all capitals is regarded as "shouting" on bulletin boards, just thought I'd mention...

Cheers

[Gold_chocobo]

I PREFER TO TYPE THIS WAY CAUSE I TYPE WAY SLOWER USING small letter.............

THANX AGAIN 4 THE REPLY.....

[Gold_chocobo]

HEY THERE...

I DID SOME SCOUTING ON THE INTERNET AND CAME ACROSS SOME INTERESTING STUFF ON MY K6-2 300....I NOW KNOW THAT THERE WAS ACTUALLY 2 FAUTLY BATCHES..ONE MARKED AFR66 (66MHZ*4.5) AND THE SECOND ONE WAS ALL THE CHIPS WITH THE MARKINGS A9834-A9839.. APPARENTLY THESE CHIPS ARE ALSO NOT STABLE AT 100MHZ BUT ARE AT 95MHZ.NOW I WAS WONDERING WHAT WOULD BE THE MOST YOU COULD GET OUT OF THE K6-2 300 AT 95HMZ? (95*3) 283MHZ I THINK...

I CHECKED MY CODE IT DOES NOT MATCH WITH THE ABOVE BUT EVERY NOW AND THEN I HAVE NOTICED MY SYSTEM JUST GIVES BLUE SCREENS OF DEATH FOLLOWED BY THE MAGIC SMALL WHITE DIALOG BOX OF DOOM..AND THEN HANGS.SO PERHAPS I SHOULD TRY THE P5MHZ SETTING AS WELL TO COOL THE CHIP DOWN AND PERHAPS INCREASE STABILITY....

WHAT DO U GUYS THINK?